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UPDATE 12:50pm 7/18: We regret to give you the update that this rocket launch has been delayed by nearly week. The next scheduled launch date is not until Wednesday, July 25th. The launch time has also changed to 4:39am, which means that liftoff will be occurring too long before sunrise for the rocket exhaust to be illuminated by the sun.
Original (outdated) content continues, below:
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This Friday at 5:12am, a rocket launch will be powering the Iridium NEXT satellites 56 through 65 into orbit from the Vandenberg Airforce Base.
The bright flame from the rocket’s First Flame could make the early portion of this launch visible for more than 120 miles, depending on cloud cover and other atmospheric conditions.
The rocket will be a Falcon 9 SLC-4E
The launch is scheduled 54 minutes before local sunrise, so this may create a very cool visual display if the rocket’s exhaust is illuminated at high altitude by the sun.
From Vandenberg: “A computer simulation by Rick Baldridge shows the rocket will climb into sunlight at T+ 3 minutes 30 seconds. If so, this would create an impressive display as the rocket’s exhaust is illuminated at high altitude by the sun and suspended in a deep twilight sky.”
I know I’ll be waking up early for this show!
(and if you are a photog, please snap some shots here, I’d love to use them for future stories like this!)
